Cable or wire shield for suspended cable-track roads.



7 PATBNTED JAN. 6, 190B. H. M. HARDING, CABLE 0R WIREvSHIELD FOR SUSPENDED CABLE TRACK ROADS.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 19, 1901. I N0 HGDEL- 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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' PATENTED JAN! 6, 1903.

, H. M. HARDING.

CABLE 0R WIRE SHIELD FOR SUSPENDED CABLE TRACK ROADS.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 19, 1901.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY M. HARDING, OF ENGLEWOOD, JERSEY.

CABLE R WIRE SHIELD FOR SUSPENDED CABLE-TRACK ROADS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 717,570, dated January 6, 1903.

Application filed April 19, 1901. Serial No- 56,55'7. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY M. HARDING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Englewood, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Cable or Wire Shields for Suspended Cable-Track Roads, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to insure'a smooth and even running of the truck or car past the points where the suspending devices for the cable or wire are located.

As suspendingdevices are now constructed the weight of the car will cause the cable or wire to sag, and at the point of suspension a shoulder or rise is formed, against which the wheels of the car will strike with a sudden jar. (See Fig. 5.) With heavy cars or those moving at a high rate of speed this is liable to become a serious detriment to the service and a serious danger to the equipment. I obviate these dangers by a shield placed over the wire at the points of suspension, so constructed that at such points the wheels of the car travel on the shield instead of the wire or cable.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a View of the shield sup ported from a hanging bracket. Fig. 2 is a view showing the shield supported on a fixed bracket. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a modification. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the auxiliary shields. Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating the utility of my invention.

A represents a track cable or wire on which the wheels of the car run.

D is a bracket by which the cable or wire is supported. This bracket may be of anyform or construction desired. In the drawings I have shown two formsthe hanging or suspended hook-bracket, as in Fig. 1, and the fixed hanger orbracket, as shown in Fig. 2.

E is the shield, which is made of any suitable material, such as sheet metal. Thisshield is made in substantially U shape. It is placed over the wire at the point of suspension, as clearly indicated in the drawings. Projecting from the bracket is the bolt F, which passes through holes in the sides of the shield and below the cable. This construction allows the shield to turn on the bolt as a pivot. To preby the wheels of the carin its passage.

vent the shield from tilting or rising so far as to offer an obstruction to the travel of the car, I place at each end within the shield a piece G, which is secured to the walls of the shield by bolts, pins, or in any suitable manner,the piece being located immediately under the wire. The shield is further strengthened by bolts or pins H passing from wall to wall and placed low enough to avoid the danger of being struck The ends of the shield maybe beveled, as indi cated at 2), Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4., to facilitate the smooth running of the cars. With the construction just described the wheels of the car as it approaches a point of suspension will engage the shield, and'as the shield is caused to turn upon its pivot the wheels of the car will pass from the cable onto the shield, which forms a regular and smooth incline instead of a sudden rise. (See Fig. 6.) When the car is past the center of the shield or the point of suspension, it will run from the shield to the cable, the shield yielding, as before, to the weight of the car.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification in which a barKis substituted for the pieces G. The baris of the shape-shownin said figure. In use it is placed within the shield,a notch g at the center being placed over the bolt F. The walls of the shield and the bar are secured together by bolts, as indicated. By this construction I secure the additional advantage of strengthening the shield against the strains tending to buckle it. Instead of using a bar in one piece I may use several bars, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. In Fig. 4: is shown an additional feature, which consists in auxiliary shields L, pivotally attached to the main shield at its ends, either inside or outside thereof. These auxiliary shields may be made of flexible material, if desired. Their construction is substantially the same as that of the main one.

The advantage of these auxiliary shields is that they insure the smooth and even transfer of the wheels from the cable to the main shield.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. The combination with a stationary suspended continuous wire or cable track of means supported and movable independently of the cable over which means the car travels in passing the points of suspension, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a stationary suspended continuous wire or cable track of a shield pivotally supported and movable independently of said wire or cable and placed over the wire at the points of suspension, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a stationary suspended wire or cable of a yieldingly-mounted shield placed over the wire at the points of suspension, and means for preventing the end of the shield from rising too high above the wire, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a stationary sus- 

